Pender to build walking trail in Maple Hill

Published: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 7:40 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 7:40 p.m.

Some Pender County officials are hoping to help residents in the Maple Hill community walk their way to better health.

Pender County’s planning and health departments are working together to put a walking and running trail around the Maple Hill Resource Center, on Maple Hill School Road. When the health department recently received about $7,000 in one-time health promotional funding, Health Director Carolyn Moser reached out to planners to see how to “creatively” use the funds to improve health in the county.

“We relied on statistical data and were able to go through several details to identify the neediest areas of the county to start with,” Moser said recently, adding that Maple Hill was identified as the place to start addressing chronic disease in the county.

“(Data) clearly shows that the Maple Hill area is the most needy when it comes to the demographics as well as health concerns,” Moser said. “There, we are looking at a higher percent of African-American population in that area, and knowing that, we need to try to target health disparities and try to bring some of these rates lower.…”

Earlier in the year, Moser presented the state of the county health report, which showed the leading causes of death in Pender from 2006 to 2010. The top ones were cancer, heart disease, chronic lower respiratory disease and diabetes. For African-Americans, diabetes was a factor three times as often for blacks than whites, Moser said, and the Maple Hill area has a high stroke fatality rate.

“So we start looking at high blood pressure. If you’re a diabetic you’re prone to strokes. If you’re diabetic you’re prone to heart disease. It just seems like the obvious locale for any kind of project would be our Maple Hill area,” she said.

Planning Director Kyle Breuer said that after talking with Moser, he and planning staffers reviewed the county’s 2010 Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Plan to see what recommendations were previously made for the Maple Hill area. A walking and fitness trail was among the recommendations, for which some Maple Hill residents had expressed a desire, Breuer said.

Breuer said the recommended bicycle and walking trails will “provide community residents areas to safely exercise, which would improve health conditions and lessen the prevalence of diseases.…”

“Walking is the greatest evidence-based practice you can participate in when it comes to trying to address heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity,” Moser said.

Breuer said the trail will be a half-mile long and should be completed by June. Both Breuer and Moser said they need the support and help of Maple Hill residents to make the trail complete. Breuer said volunteers and residents who may have equipment they can lend to the project are needed.

<p>Some Pender County officials are hoping to help residents in the Maple Hill community walk their way to better health.</p><p>Pender County's planning and health departments are working together to put a walking and running trail around the Maple Hill Resource Center, on Maple Hill School Road. When the health department recently received about $7,000 in one-time health promotional funding, Health Director Carolyn Moser reached out to planners to see how to “creatively” use the funds to improve health in the county. </p><p>“We relied on statistical data and were able to go through several details to identify the neediest areas of the county to start with,” Moser said recently, adding that Maple Hill was identified as the place to start addressing chronic disease in the county. </p><p>“(Data) clearly shows that the Maple Hill area is the most needy when it comes to the demographics as well as health concerns,” Moser said. “There, we are looking at a higher percent of African-American population in that area, and knowing that, we need to try to target health disparities and try to bring some of these rates lower.…” </p><p>Earlier in the year, Moser presented the state of the county health report, which showed the leading causes of death in Pender from 2006 to 2010. The top ones were cancer, heart disease, chronic lower respiratory disease and diabetes. For African-Americans, diabetes was a factor three times as often for blacks than whites, Moser said, and the Maple Hill area has a high stroke fatality rate. </p><p>“So we start looking at high blood pressure. If you're a diabetic you're prone to strokes. If you're diabetic you're prone to heart disease. It just seems like the obvious locale for any kind of project would be our Maple Hill area,” she said.</p><p>Planning Director Kyle Breuer said that after talking with Moser, he and planning staffers reviewed the county's 2010 Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Plan to see what recommendations were previously made for the Maple Hill area. A walking and fitness trail was among the recommendations, for which some Maple Hill residents had expressed a desire, Breuer said.</p><p>Breuer said the recommended bicycle and walking trails will “provide community residents areas to safely exercise, which would improve health conditions and lessen the prevalence of diseases.…” </p><p>“Walking is the greatest evidence-based practice you can participate in when it comes to trying to address heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity,” Moser said.</p><p>Breuer said the trail will be a half-mile long and should be completed by June. Both Breuer and Moser said they need the support and help of Maple Hill residents to make the trail complete. Breuer said volunteers and residents who may have equipment they can lend to the project are needed. </p><p><i></p><p>Metro desk: 343-2389</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @StarNewsOnline</i></p>